Cookbook Critic: Butter-loving cooks may find fun inspirations

In the past I've made many flavored (or "compound") butters so I was looking forward to exploring Lucy Vaserfirer's niche cookbook, "Flavored Butters." It features almost three times the number of savory butter recipes than sweet, and most of the recipes start with one stick of butter.

The caramelized onion butter took more than an hour to make, but it was great on both filet mignon and a baked potato. This was my favorite recipe, with a delicious sweetness from the caramelized onions.

The maître d'hôtel butter with fresh parsley and lemon did well on green beans, and would also go well on grilled chicken. The lemon juice didn't combine initially, but Vaserfirer's hint in the beginning of the book to carefully incorporate liquids with the addition of a little heat worked well. The introductory pages are worth reading.

The orange-honey butter was easy to make and was a welcome embellishment to waffles. It would be great on pancakes or warm muffins, too.

On a cautionary note, the salted caramel butter includes cream added to hot sugar in a small pot. I felt the recipe notes should have prepared the reader better. For safety, the cream is best warmed, and the pot should be medium to large. Adding cream to hot sugar will cause the mixture to bubble up and spit so quickly and fiercely that burns are possible if you're unprepared.

"Flavored Butters" contains several easy and approachable recipes, plus the more obscure, such as truffled foie gras butter. I recommend the book with a few reservations. It's a fun source of inspiration for the creative butter-loving cook. However, it may be over the top for some given a few of the techniques and several uncommon ingredients, such as wasabi powder and freeze-dried fruit.

Recipes

Caramelized onion butter

Slow and low is the key to caramelizing onions. Gentle cooking transforms onions from positively pungent to golden brown, sweet and mellow. They make a delicious stand-alone topping for burgers or steak, but blending them into butter makes them even better.

Serve this butter atop steak, stuff it into burger patties, toss it with steamed or roasted vegetables, or stir it into mashed potatoes and grain dishes.

Makes 8 servings

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, julienned

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

¼ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

Heat a medium-size, heavy sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the oil and the onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the onion is caramelized. Let cool to room temperature. Combine the caramelized onions, butter, and salt in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Form into a log and refrigerate until firm before slicing and serving, or use another shaping method.

Chipotle butter

If you like your food to have a little heat, this is sure to become one of your favorite butters. It's spicy and smoky, and when you pair it with grilled food, it can't be beat. Marbled rib-eye steaks and corn on the cob are both good candidates for a pat. The lime variation is a good match for grilled salmon and shrimp. Use more or fewer chipotles as you wish to adjust the heat level. Leftover chipotles keep well frozen.

Makes 8 servings

4 chipotles in adobo sauce

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 garlic clove, grated on a micro-plane

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

Generous pinch of ground cumin

Force the chipotles through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the skins and seeds. Blend together the chipotle puree, butter, garlic, salt, and cumin in a medium-size bowl. Form into a log and refrigerate until firm, before slicing and serving, or use another shaping method.

Cookbook Critic runs Wednesdays in the Plus section. This week's Cookbook Critic is Lauren Cheong from San Anselmo, who has a master's degree in gastronomy and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America's Baking & Pastry Program. One of her favorite desserts is her mom's chocolate bread pudding.

Love to cook and bake?

If you're interested in being a Cookbook Critic for the IJ, please email vlarson@marinij.com and include a little about yourself, your town, your cooking expertise, any dietary restrictions and types of foods you like to cook/bake. Please put "Cookbook Critic" in the subject line.